Scott Series: Sink or Swim
by QuestRunner
Summary: With Gordon as his instructor, Scott begins his journey to become a certified scuba diver. A brotherly story between our favorite field commander and aquanaut!


Author's Note: Hey, fellow Tbirds! This story is set as a sequel to Scott Series: Submerged, but you by no means have to read that story in order to enjoy this one. I recently got scuba diving certified and figured that this would be a fun way to share the experience!

Scott shielded his eyes from the morning sun as he padded across the pavement to Gordon's side by the pool. He watched the rippling water and tentatively dipped his right foot under the surface. Nice and warm. He managed a smile despite the butterflies in his stomach. Gordon noticed his tension and gave him a light punch to the shoulder.

"No sweat, Scott. You'll be fine. C'mon, let's head over to the gear." Scott followed his exuberant brother to one of the pool chairs currently serving as a hub for their scuba diving equipment.

Nearly a year ago, Scott had promised Gordon that he'd become certified in the chosen profession his brother loved so much. After months of planning off-and-on between rescues, he'd finally carved out time to study the material and pass the required exams. And now, on this beautiful, perfect day, Scott's date with destiny had finally arrived. The pool training. His first, official step in obtaining the Open Water Diver certification.

And a part of him was terrified.

He could free fall with his jet pack, perform nausea-inducing feats with his aircraft and arrive on scene as a first responder. But breathing underwater…that was different. Gordon looked so comfortable under the waves, and it was easy to forget how hard he'd worked to achieve the status of instructor and all the specialties that came with it. Scott had talked in length with Gordon the night before and gained a new understanding and appreciation of his little brother's skills. His specialties ranged from cavern, wreck and nighttime diving, to dry suit certification and underwater photography. The list was endless. You'd never guess that fun-loving, easy-going Gordon was such a professional, but it was this trait that made Scott proud to call him his instructor.

"All right, Scott. I'm gonna start by going over the basics. If you have questions, just ask. We'll take our time and make a day of it," Gordon said. He yawned and stretched while Scott stood at attention, trying to calm the nervous energy in his gut.

"You've been looking forward to ordering me around, haven't you?" Scott joked. Gordon laughed.

"Maybe just a little. But, I promise, we'll have fun today. Okay, quiz time. What's the most important rule of diving?"

"Never hold your breath," Scott answered confidently. He'd seen it repeated in the quizzes enough to commit it to memory.

"Exactly. Nice work," Gordon said, adopting a lazy grin. "But there's another rule that I want you to follow, too. Let's call it a 'Gordon Rule.'"

"Please tell me this isn't another one of your crazy bets. Last time I lost to you, I had to do laundry for a week AND clean the pool."

"Nope. It's not a bet. I want you to…well…not expect yourself to be perfect." The words gave Scott pause.

He had to admit that setting lofty expectations for himself came with the 'Oldest Brother' territory. It was a needling characteristic that he'd carried over into his military career and again when he transitioned into I.R. Scott demanded perfection of himself, plain and simple, even more so than his father, who often had to remind him that not every loss was a failure. Scott, his own worst critic, saw things differently. In his experience, there was no room for mistakes. And that included scuba diving. Scott tried to deflect Gordon's ridiculous rule, but the aquanaut insisted.

"Listen, we're gonna go through a lot of drills that are meant to help you out in the real world if something goes wrong. Not all of the drills are comfortable, and some may take you a few tries. It's okay if you don't get something right away. At the end of the day, it's all about staying safe and having a good time. Right?" Scott had to agree, despite his instincts screaming otherwise.

"You're right, Gordo. I promise to keep Field Commander mode in check." This earned him another playful punch to the shoulder. Scott then glanced at the eye-and-nose masks and snorkels lying next to Gordon's feet and sighed. "I was thinking we'd use a full face mask for the pool today," he admitted, half-hoping that Gordon would listen to reason. His callous brother merely shook his head.

"Nope. You're learning the good, old fashioned way. A separate mask and a separate regulator. Not the combo that I use on rescues."

"That's gonna make it hard to communicate," Scott hedged.

"Nah, communicating underwater is easy. Here, let's review some of the hand signals," Gordon said eagerly. "As your instructor, I'll typically use the 'okay' sign with my hand as a question. If I ask 'okay?' then I want to see you make the 'okay' sign back to me if nothing's wrong so that I know we're both in a good place. Now, what signal would you make if there _was_ something wrong?" Scott held out his hand palm down and tilted it from side to side. "Good. You can use that hand signal with other gestures to let me know what the problem is. For example, if it's a leg cramp, you signal 'something wrong' and point to your calf.

"Other times I might ask you to stop and kneel at the bottom of the pool. Or I'll ask you to watch me while I demonstrate a skill. Either way, I'll go over those with you again before we go underwater. You'll get the hang of it real quick."

"I hope you're right, Gords. There's a lot to remember. And I haven't even got in the water yet!"

"Oh, we'll be getting in the water in a few minutes. Just gotta get through the housekeeping rules. Like…TA DA!….the working parts of your Buoyancy Control Device!" Scott couldn't help but chuckle at Gordon's obvious enthusiasm as he held up the accessory, which looked more or less like a bulky life jacket. Scott spent the next few minutes, under the blonde's careful observation, learning how to strap the Buoyancy Control Device (BCD) to his scuba tank. Gordon pointed to the O-ring on the top of the tank; a small circle with a slender piece of rubber tucked inside. He then held the first stage aloft in one hand and passed it to Scott. The eldest studied the first stage with interest.

He'd seen pictures of it, of course, and had a level of familiarity with the multiple hoses just by watching Gordon dive, but he'd never really held one up close. The thought was a little intimidating.

The first stage was a metal fitting that attached to the top of the tank. Two hoses dangled from either side, and Scott was reminded of a lopsided octopus. Gordon prompted Scott to continue once he noticed his hesitation.

"Time for you to attach the first stage. Line it up with the O-ring and turn the knob on back to secure it into place. Remember, you'll want the second stage and alternate air source on the right side of the tank, so that when you put on the BCD you can grab those easily with your right hand."

It took a second for the diving jargon to make sense. Second stage? Oh, right. Gordon was talking about the regulator he would be breathing from. And the alternate air source…that was the yellow hose with the spare regulator attached. _So both regulators go on the right side. Got it_ , Scott thought to himself as he fastened the first stage in place.

The two hoses on the left side of the first stage held different purposes. One hose served as the low-pressure BCD inflator and the other hose was his submersible pressure gauge (SPG). Scott didn't fully understand those two hoses—the names themselves seemed daunting—and was just relieved to have the scuba kit in one piece. He stood back and admired his work. Gordon walked around his BCD and tank with a practiced eye.

"Good work, Scott. You're almost ready to turn on the air to your tank, but first you've gotta attach the low pressure hose to your BCD. C'mere. I'll show you how it's done." Scott stepped closer as Gordon pointed to the low pressure hose. "This little guy's gonna make way more sense once you actually start diving. You use this hose to add air into your BCD so you can float, or deflate air so you can descend. In order for it to work, you attach it to your BCD. Like this." Gordon made the connection between the low pressure hose and the BCD with ease. He unclasped the fitting and gave Scott an encouraging shove forward. "Your turn, Scotty. Give it a shot."

Scott fumbled with the hose, but eventually heard it 'click' into place. He grinned at the small victory.

"Done like a real pro, right, Gordon?"

"Oh yeah. Real impressive, Scott," Gordon snickered. He tapped the large black knob at the top of the tank. "And now you're ready to turn on the air." Scott twisted the knob and was rewarded with a momentary hissing sound. Gordon had him push a button on the BCD inflator hose that filled his BCD with air, and encouraged him to take a breath out of his second stage regulator. "Become fast friends with this regulator," Gordon advised as Scott placed the regulator into his mouth and took in a deep breath of air. "You'll be breathing from this ALL day."

"It's…easy!" Scott said dumbly. He ignored Gordon's laughter. "No, I mean, breathing from the regulator is easier than I thought it would be!"

"It kind of takes the fear away, doesn't it?" Gordon said with a grin. "Breathing with a regulator underwater takes no effort at all. It feels natural after awhile. Just wait until you get to do it for real."

Scott watched as Gordon placed his scuba kit together in record time then divvied out handheld weights between them. "These weights should work for you in the pool. If not, we can change the weights up later." Scott placed one weight in a pocket on either side of his BCD. The pockets that held the weights had built in straps made for easy removal. Once secure, Gordon motioned him to the pool steps.

"Let's get started! Just carry your BCD and tank to the side of the pool and drop it in the shallow end. We'll get our fins on first then clip into our BCDs while we're in the water."

"But…I mean…you want me to place the tank IN the water?" Scott countered. The tank and BCD were HEAVY, made even heavier by the weights he'd just added. He couldn't help but cast Gordon a look of exasperation. "It won't…you know…sink?"

"No, Scott. You filled your BCD completely with air. Trust me, it won't sink."

"Are…are you sure?" The question sounded lame, even to Scott, and he prepared himself for a round of teasing that never came. Instead, his younger sibling slowly lowered his scuba kit into the family pool.

"I'm sure. See, look." Gordon was right. The kit floated above the water. Emboldened, Scott followed suit and quickly entered the shallow end with fins in hand. He fitted his fins in place then wrestled himself into the BCD with Gordon's guidance. The gear felt awkward and clumsy, but weighed much lighter in the water. Gordon strapped himself into his own BCD then tossed Scott his mask. His grin was contagious.

"Are you ready to do something REALLY cool?"

"You bet I'm ready."

"Okay. Let the air out of your BCD and put your mask in place." Scott struggled to find the inflator hose at first, but finally located it with his left hand. He held the hose straight up into the air and pressed the button on top as the air deflated from his BCD. He put on his mask, feeling giddy with anticipation. "Okay, Scott. We're going to kneel in the shallow end and breathe from our regulators. You're going to be breathing UNDERWATER for the first time in your life. Ready?" Scott could only nod. Gordon gave him a quick wink then placed the regulator in his mouth. Scott did the same. The aquanaut made a thumbs down sign then lowered himself below the surface.

 _Descend_.

Scott followed with much less grace as his knees hit the bottom of the pool. Gordon raised his hand in 'okay.'

 _Okay?_

Scott gave a nod and raised his hand in return.

 _Okay._

What the pilot really wanted to say was "THIS IS AWESOME." He was BREATHING underwater! The sensation was phenomenal. The simple euphoria ended all too soon as Gordon made a thumbs up sign.

 _Ascend_.

Scott really didn't want to. He wanted to stay there, basking in his newfound ability to breathe below the surface, but he reluctantly obeyed and met Gordon topside. He tore the regulator from his mouth so he could speak.

"That was amazing, Gordon!"

"I figured you'd like that. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Can we go down again?" Scott pleaded.

"Soon. Let's do a quick exercise first," Gordon replied. At Scott's crumpled expression, he added, "Don't worry, this involves the regulator. You're going to put your face below the water and switch back and forth from your regulator to your snorkel. I'll explain the steps then demonstrate it for you. After that I'll have you practice it for me. Sound good?"

"Yep. Sounds good."

"Okay, I'll start by breathing through my regulator. After I take a deep breath, I'm gonna take it out of my mouth. Make sure that anytime you have the regulator out, you'll blow bubbles. Want to guess why?"

"Because you should never hold your breath," Scott said.

"Yep, you got it. Number one rule: Don't hold your breath. When you switch to your snorkel, use the blow method. Blow into the mouthpiece to clear it from any water then take a few breaths. When you're ready, you'll move back to your regulator. Put the regulator right by your mouth, take a final breath from your snorkel, blow some bubbles while making the switch, then put the regulator back in your mouth. You can either blow into the regulator to clear it, like you did with the snorkel, or use the purge button."

"Purge button?" Scott rotated the regulator in his hands. Gordon indicated the back of the regulator.

"It just takes a quick tap. I prefer to blow into the regulator, but if you have very little air left in your lungs or no air left, hit the purge. It'll clear the regulator of any water so you can breathe." He readjusted the mask over his face.

"All right, ready for round two? Remember, I'll show you what it looks like first. Obviously, I'm going to make things look wwwwaaaaayyyyy exaggerated. You DO NOT have to do everything as slow as I do. It's just a way for you to see all the steps." Scott stifled a laugh.

"You got it. Lead the way, Gordo." His sibling stuck his face below the water and waited until Scott's face came into view. Gordon raised his hand.

 _Okay?_

Scott raised a hand in response, feeling the elation return as he breathed through his regulator.

 _Okay._

The blonde proceeded to take a deep breath from his regulator before removing it from his mouth with his right hand. He pointed to his mouth as a steady stream of bubbles left his lips.

 _Remember the bubbles, Scott. Don't hold your breath._

The aquanaut placed his mouth over the snorkel and blew hard into the mouthpiece. Scott watched as Gordon brought the regulator up to his mouth and made the switch back. He cleared the water from the regulator and continued to breath like normal. Scott felt his heart rate pick up as Gordon calmly gestured to him.

 _Your turn. Show me._

Scott berated himself for not paying more attention. His little bro made it look so effortless! The thought of taking the regulator out of his mouth was starting to terrify him, even if his head was only a foot beneath the surface. The commander took a deep breath to calm his nerves. Okay, first step. Take the regulator out. Blow bubbles.

Scott took out the regulator after a moment's hesitation and blew bubbles as instructed. He relaxed a little; the feeling wasn't as horrifying as he thought it would be. Once he located the snorkel attached to his mask, he blew forcefully through the mouthpiece and took a tentative breath. Oh, thank the scuba diving heavens, he did it! Scott made the transition back to his trusty regulator and gained Gordon's approval. His built in instructor made him complete the swap two more times before giving him a thumbs up.

 _Ascend._

They broke the surface. Gordon gave Scott a high five.

"Nice work, bro. Textbook switch. You did great." Scott knew that the feat was small, but he couldn't help but feel a bit of pride.

"Thanks, Gords. So, what's next? The deep end?" He felt a surge of confidence course through his veins. Unfortunately, Gordon's training montage was more conservative than Scott's adrenaline rush.

"Not quite yet. We've got another skill to tackle. I'm gonna show you how to clear a partially flooded mask."

"That sounds…not as much fun," the eldest admitted. Gordon nodded.

"Yeah, this one's not very exciting, but it's a skill you're gonna use out in the real world. A LOT. No matter how expensive your mask is, there will be times when water leaks in, and you need know how to get that water out. Trust me, after enough times, this one feels like second nature." Scott grudgingly accepted Gordon's advice, even though he was less-than-thrilled to mess with his mask underwater. Gordon noticed his hesitation and offered his two cents.

"A lot of new divers get nervous when it comes to their mask. I mean, let's face it, adjusting your mask underwater isn't something you do every day, so it's gonna feel weird at first. The good news is that clearing your mask only takes a few small steps."

"Really?" Scott asked. Gordon grinned.

"Yep. Not much to it at all."

"Okay. Then let's do it." Gordon took this as his cue to continue.

"All right. Partially flooded mask. I'm gonna simulate this by lifting up the bottom part of my mask to partially fill it with water." Gordon mimed the actions as though they were already kneeling below the surface. It looked silly, but Scott appreciated the extra instruction and watched his movements carefully. Gordon lifted his right hand to his mask. "Then I'll press the palm of my hand against the top half of my mask and look down. From here, I'm gonna blow air out of my nose while tilting my head up. If there's still water in the mask after that, I'll just repeat those steps until the water is clear."

"So if there's still water, I'll have to do it more than once?" Scott felt his mouth go dry.

"For a partially flooded mask? Probably not. One time should be fine." Gordon clasped Scott on the shoulder. "Remember, I'll be with you the whole time. I'll show you how I clear my mask, then I'll watch you do the skill back. There's no time limit, Scott. We'll start only when you're ready." Scott nodded. He took a deep breath to steel his resolve.

"All right, let's go."

"Sounds good. I'll see you at the bottom." Gordon placed the regulator in his mouth and made the familiar hand signal.

 _Descend._

Scott followed his descent and knelt across from his brother. One of his fins slipped out from beneath him and he flailed for a moment until he righted his balance. Gordon waited patiently and signed to Scott.

 _Okay?_

 _Okay._ Scott replied, slightly embarrassed. Gordon pressed on like normal and pointed two fingers at his own mask.

 _Watch me, Scott._

He lifted the bottom of his mask briefly until water started to trickle in. Gordon let go, allowing the water to seal inside. He then made an over exaggerated motion of pressing his palm against the top of his mask and tilting his head down toward his knees. Scott watched a stream of bubbles rise to the surface as Gordon blew air from his nose and lifted his head upward. The blonde then locked eyes with Scott and indicated his mask.

 _See? The water's gone._ He held his hands outward to Scott, palms up. _Your turn. Show me._

The anxiety returned as Gordon watched him expectantly. Scott took a few calming breaths from his regulator before reaching for the bottom of his mask. He lifted it tentatively until he noticed the water rising. Before the water could reach his eyes, he let the bottom of his mask drop. So far, so good. The eldest placed his palm against the top of the mask and copied Gordon's actions. He opened his eyes tentatively, shocked to see that the water had disappeared from his line of sight.

 _Okay?_ Gordon asked.

 _Okay._

 _Ascend_ , Gordon ordered, and both men returned topside.

"You did it, Scott. Awesome, bro!" The pair fist bumped.

"Let me guess. I'm gonna have to clear a fully flooded mask next time, right?"

"Bingo. It's just the same as before, but you may have to clear your mask about two times to get rid of all the water."

"Understood," Scott said, before realizing that he was slowly slipping back into Field Commander mode after his early string of successes. He descended with Gordon and cleared a fully flooded mask on his first try, which only served to fuel his inner perfectionist. Maybe he wouldn't need Gordon's Rule after all, Scott mused.

He couldn't be more wrong.

"Now for phase three. I want you to completely remove your mask underwater then put it back on and clear it," Gordon said. Scott, in his haste, merely nodded and went to duck under the surface. The aquanaut gently grabbed the eldest by the front of his BCD and tugged him upright. "One sec, Scotty. This drill is tough for a lot of people starting out. When you take off the mask, you don't have to keep your eyes open. I actually prefer to keep mine closed. Watch me closely on this one, okay?"

"You got it, Gordo," Scott said, anxious to begin the newest exercise. Gordon ran a hand through his dripping hair and affixed his mask back into place.

"I'll meet you at the usual spot," he joked, and the pair soon found themselves facing each other at the bottom of the shallow end. Scott watched as Gordon removed his mask, looking serene even as the bubbles from his regulator brushed by his face. His younger sibling slowly put his mask back on, taking time to brush his bangs out of the way so that his mask could seal properly. He then cleared the remaining water and held his hands out to Scott.

 _Your turn. Show me._

Scott swallowed hard. He couldn't mess up now, not when he was on a perfect winning streak. And he'd cleared his mask before. He tried to still his pounding heart as he reached for the fitted rubber. Now or never, Scott. He tore the mask off before he could change his mind.

The warm water hit his face and he scrunched his eyes shut against the sudden onslaught of bubbles that surrounded him. The feeling was foreign and disorienting, and for a split second, Scott panicked. Water rushed into his nose even as he gasped for air through his regulator.

 _I'm drowning. I'm drowning!_ Scott burst through the surface and threw the regulator aside. He reached blindly for the side of the pool, coughing violently, as he tried to purge the water from his throat. He felt a hand clamp on his shoulder and give him a small shake.

"You tried to breathe through your nose, didn't you, Scott?" his instructor said, not unkindly. Scott nodded weakly. The burning sensation in his nose was answer enough.

"I…uh, I think so…" He trailed off and avoided Gordon's gaze.

"You're doing it again," the swimmer chided. He tapped his head for emphasis. "You're turning into Mr. Perfectionist. Relax, bro. It was only your first try. Just remember, when it comes to scuba diving, you have to become a glorified mouth breather. Just forgot that your nose is even there."

"Easier said than done," Scott muttered. To his surprise, Gordon leaned next to him and gave him a nod of agreement.

"You said it. When I first started diving, I almost quit because of this."

"Wait. What?" Scott turned his full attention to the blonde brother at his side. Gordon shrugged.

"Oh, yeah. I freaked out every time I took my mask off underwater. Kept getting water in my nose. And then, my instructor gave me some great advice. The same advice I'm gonna give you." Gordon placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes against the sun's rays. "Scott, have you ever swam in this pool before?" Scott blinked.

"Yeah, tons of times."

"And did you ever breathe with a regulator while you were swimming?"

"Well, no."

"But you still dived into the water, right? You still swam underwater with your eyes closed, didn't you?"

"Of course."

"So why is this any different?" Gordon then leaned against an elbow and studied Scott with a cheeky grin. Scott, convinced he was being boxed into some sort of trick question, only answered with a confused, "Huh?"

"The only difference is that you have an air source now. I mean, that's a lot more comforting than swimming with your eyes closed without one, right?" Gordon continued. Scott opened his mouth to argue, but found that his brother's logic was sound.

"I guess you're right," he conceded. Gordon gave him a brotherly slap on the back.

"Of course I'm right! Listen, Scott. No matter what happens in the pool today, you ALWAYS have air. Whenever you're ready, we'll try it again." Scott, still conscious of his burning sinuses, shuddered slightly at the thought.

"How long did it take you to get comfortable taking your mask off underwater?" he asked, and for the second time in as many minutes, Gordon's answer surprised him.

"Oh, I'm never really that comfortable with it. I can do it, but I still don't like it. There are times when it's helpful, like when you're diving and your mask gets fogged up. Or when a barracuda rips your mask right off your face." Scott couldn't help but laugh.

"A barracuda ripped your mask off?!"

"Well, yeah. Rookie mistake. I was wearing that silver necklace I picked up in Hawaii and forgot to take it off before the dive. Guess what? Barracuda LOVE shiny things and one of them went right up to my mask to investigate. Barracuda 1, Gordon 0."

"Smart fish," Scott teased. Gordon splashed him in retaliation. "Okay, Gordo. I think I'm ready to take the plunge again."

"You're up for round two of Scott versus Mask?"

"Yep. Ready to get it over with. And I promise to be a mouth breather from now on. Scout's honor." Gordon grinned.

"Okay, let's do it. You know the drill. Onward and downward."


End file.
